The demand for high-speed data communications has increased in accordance with the spread of Internet, and the so-called Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) services in which optical fibers are installed in each home are also expanding. Thus, it is expected that an optical connector for optical connection will be used in a general home. For example, it is considered to attach an optical connector to the end of an optical fiber cord that is attached to optical communication equipment in the home and to insert the plug of the optical connector into an adapter provided in the wall for optical connection, so that the optical communication equipment in the home is connected with the FTTH network.
An optical connector known for such use is a connector suitable for field (indoor) assembly, having a structure which comprises a built-in optical fiber-containing capillary provided at the tip and a mechanical splice provided at the rear inside. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-235656 discloses an SC connector having a built-in mechanical splice that enables field assembly, as well as tools and method for assembling a field-assembly optical connector so as to be attached to an end of an optical fiber cord. In the disclosed technique, the optical connector is assembled using an optical connector assembly tool that is equipped with a connector support stand, a fiber support stand for clamping an optical fiber cord, a tension member fixing tool for fixing a tension member exposed at the end of the optical fiber cord, and a moving mechanism for moving the connector support stand back and forth relative to the fiber support stand.
In order to obtain stable optical and mechanical characteristics, the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber cord must endure the force that is applied from the outside to the optical fiber cord. For example, the optical connector is required not only to hold the sheath of an optical fiber cord but also to allow the tension member of the optical fiber cord to be fixed to the optical connector so that the tension member may bear the tension acting on the optical fiber cord.
It has been difficult to assemble a conventional field-assembly optical connector in a manner such that a tension member is fixed while a sheath is held, and generally the assembly work has been complex. Also, since the conventional field-assembly optical connector has an additional structure for enabling field-assembly, its structure has been complicated. For example, in the case of the optical connectors described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-235656, it has been necessary to use an optical connector assembly tool having a tension member fixing jig so that a tension member may be fixed, and consequently the connector assembly work is also complex.